“It’s all about love… this 14th August” – the tagline’s a bit inappropriate for Independence Day when the only “love” crossing people’s minds is that for the country (maybe they picked the wrong 14th for the release?) but Dekh Magar Pyaar Say nonetheless looks set to take the centre stage in Pakistan’s cinematic life in two weeks’ time.
The first thing about the upcoming motion picture that shocked me was its genre. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the genre the movie was parading under. A romantic comedy? A Pakistani romantic comedy? Really? The last time Pakistan made a romantic comedy, Ali Ejaz vehemently and comically courted Salma Mumtaz in Sala Sahib (okay maybe I’m exaggerating a bit). But truth be told, Pakistani producers love their romance and they love their comedy – but they don’t really seem to take a liking for a mixture of the two popular genres.
Director Asad-ul-Haq and producer Ali Murtaza – whose collaboration produced Dekh Magar Pyaar Say – would beg to differ.
Humaima Malick is Back
The trailer released by the Dekh Magar Pyaar Say’s production team is quite attractive, if only for the lovely Humaima Malick. By the looks of it, Malick, of Bol and Raja Natwarlal fame, would be playing the femme fatale in the film; the love interest of chef-turned actor, Sikander Rizvi, who plays a… rickshaw driver? Well, that’s what the trailer suggests.
The trailer also suggests that of the two leads in the film, the female, Humaima Malick, would likely be playing the stronger of the two characters. This isn’t something new for the woman who burst onto the scene with her amazing performance in Bol, for which she won both popular and critical acclaim.
Raja Natwarlal, her second most recognized performance till date and her first in Bollywood, saw her star alongside Emraan Hashmi. Humaima Malick proved herself to be a versatile actress when she followed her dark and serious role in Bol with her more ordinary and seemingly less challenging role in Raja Natwarlal. While in Bol she enjoyed plenty of limelight – certainly outshining her other very popular co-star, Mahira Khan – in Raja Natwarlal she took a backseat and let Emraan Hashmi and Paresh Rawal do the acting. So what can we expect from Malick’s performance in Dekh Magar Pyaar Say?
In many ways, her character in Dekh Magar Pyaar Say would likely be a cross between her previous two most important roles: the strength and character of Bol mixed with the charisma and charm of Raja Natwarlal. It should make for a cracking combination.
It seems to be an amalgamation of romance, drama, mystery, comedy and heist
Music, Cinematography, Direction and Script
The much of the soundtrack that has been released by the film’s producers so far consists mainly of remixed classics, including a gory, psychedelic version of Nusrat Fateh Ali’s Tumhein Dillagi Bhool Jani Paregi and the timeless Kala Doriya (that has been sung so many times over that nobody remembers who sang it first). Your liking and disliking for the movie’s soundtrack, hence, would basically be dependent upon your liking or disliking for these epics – little credit for either would go for Dekh Magar Pyaar Say’s musical composition team.
The cinematography of the film looks like it is going to come upto the high standards set by recent Pakistani film productions. Shot well, with lucrative sets, the director Asad-ul-Haq seems to have done his job well. The rest depends upon the actors’ acting prowess and script. Humaima Malick would likely keep her side of the bargain – but what about newcomer Sikander Rizvi?
Sikander Rizvi – who prefers being called “Alexander” or “Xander” Rizvi – looks set to be a crowd pleaser in the making. If one ignores the odd, urban accented Urdu that he speaks – which is extremely out of place for a rickshaw driver – Rizvi seems to have all that most Pakistani heroes make their money with: good looks, charm and “aura” (who cares about acting?). Fawad Khan ought to know.
Last and never the least: the script. Billed as a romantic comedy, Dekh Magar Pyaar Say seems set to be another one of those amalgamations of romance, drama, mystery, comedy and heist – something like Humaima Malick’s last project, Raja Natwarlal – that Pakistani audiences have been watching for decades. The only difference – and it’s a huge difference, none-the-less – is that it has been written by a Pakistani. Saba Imtiaz, who recently released her bestselling novel, Karachi, You’re Killing Me!, is also Dekh Magar Pyaar Say’s scriptwriter. Hopefully, she would have done as good a job in the film as she did in her debut novel.